With the rising importance of data communications, there is a drive toward the use of high-density connections. Increased density of connections in communications equipment—such as patch panels and network switches—is desirable because increased connection density allows for more connections in a given area. For example, many enterprises employ racks for their networking equipment, and the racks take up a certain amount of floor space. Such enterprises can install more network connections by replacing standard network equipment with high-density network equipment within the same racks. The high-density equipment thus allows the same amount of floor space to support more network connections.
But as connection density is increased, it becomes more difficult to plug in and unplug connectors. Areas with a high density of connections, such as high-density patch panels, leave little space for installers to access the plugs. Because the plugs are very close to one another, it is difficult for a technician to reach between adjacent plugs in order to operate a latch on a plug and thereby release the plug. It is also difficult to hold a plug during insertion. The high density of cables coming out of the plugs adds to these difficulties. It is desirable to have a plug that is easy to insert and remove from a jack, even in high-density environments.